Cashfree Payments Builds Trust at Checkout for Indian Consumers

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For Indian consumers, the moment of payment is a sacred one. It’s the make-or-break moment where intent meets risk. But one unclear charge, one failed step, or one unfamiliar screen is enough for a user to walk away.

However, this fragility is amplified by India’s payment landscape. Digital payments are booming, but also becoming increasingly complex to navigate. With UPI, cards, wallets, EMIs, and “Buy Now, Pay Later” options, shoppers today have more ways to pay than ever. Yet more options often bring more confusion.

Since 2020, over 50 million new internet users have come online, many from smaller towns and cities. Although most of them primarily use mobile phones instead of laptops, not all feel equally comfortable navigating the digital world.

This is why designing for checkout goes beyond usability. It’s about psychology, education, transparency, and ultimately, trust.

At Cashfree Payments, we invest deeply in creating payment experiences that feel clear, reliable, and confidence-inspiring for businesses of every size and market.

Here’s how we bring customer-first, trust-building design to life at checkout:

1. Clarity in Cart Value Reduces Checkout Anxiety

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A major drop-off reason is uncertainty around what a user is being charged for.

What we did:

• Introduced fixed cart value banners in the header throughout the payment experience.
• Clearly broken down charges: item price, taxes, discounts, delivery fees, free gift, and more, upfront or one click away
• No surprise charges: Clearly showing the convenience fee, if applicable, before payment

Why it matters: Clear pricing reduces anxiety, especially among first-time users.

2. The Power of Social Proof

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People trust what others trust. New customers need a strong foundation of trust to proceed with a purchase. This is helpful for buyers as well as merchants.

What we did:

• Added social proof cues like “Last purchase made 10 mins ago” and “Served 300+ consumers” on the checkout page.
• Added a “Trusted by Cashfree” badge to merchant checkouts, so that when a new customer initiates payment, they see a visible symbol of trust. This helps build confidence and reassures them that the payment experience is secure and backed by a reliable provider.

Impact: More people completed their purchase, and we saw a 0.52% increase in successful checkouts.

3. Seamless Merchant Branding

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A consistent brand reassures users that they’re in the right place; hence, we’ve designed the checkout in a way that truly looks like an extension of the brand’s website.

What we did:

• Added merchant logo, colour, and custom images across the checkout flow, reducing the visual difference between our checkout and their platform.
• Designed and built a fully customisable checkout, which enables our merchants to modify even the smallest details of their checkout.

4. Clear Consent Prompts Build User Confidence

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We don’t just want users to save our customers’ data; we want them to understand how it is beneficial for them.

What we did:

• Added checks everywhere where we save users’ information, like phone number, email, and card details.
• A soft nudge in the cards flow in case they don’t wish to save a new card, explaining the benefits of it.
• Clearly communicated what “save card” means, with a “learn more” link and no hidden information.

Result: Delicate nudging and explanation resulted in 6% improvement for saving cards.

5. Reassuring Users with Visible Security Indicators

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• Native OTP reduces friction at the final step, with a clear callout to switch to the bank’s webpage if the user wants to give them freedom about their choice.
• Educative copy: “Payment methods for +91727271232”. Clear callouts to edit phone number in case the user wants to update their phone number
• Visible security badges, such as “secured by Cashfree” and “trusted merchant” are used.

Trust is about perception. Even if security is strong, if it’s invisible, users may still feel unsure.

Why it matters: This matters because it significantly improves user trust, conversion, and compliance at a highly sensitive and critical point in the payment experience.

The Bigger Picture: Designing for Emotion

In Indian fintech, where payment failures are frequent, terms are often unclear, and the stakes are high, trust determines whether a payment goes through or a cart is abandoned. So for our customers who act on instinct, trust is the silent layer of UX that defines success.

Each of these interventions that we discussed may feel small individually, but together they create a system of trust:

• Trust by clarity– what am I paying for?
• Trust by security– is this safe?
• Trust by control– can I stop or retry easily?

And when we talk about “customer-first” design, this is what we mean. It’s not about pushing users toward what the business wants; it’s about making them feel in control and informed. When users feel in control, they convert. But when they feel tricked, they never come back. That’s why our goal as product designers isn’t just to streamline checkout flows; it’s to actively build trust at every interaction.

Stay tuned for more stories on how we’re designing for trust, one experience at a time.